Then he said some more about the player who won a Conn Smythe playing for Tortorella's Tampa Bay Lightning during their 2004 Stanley Cup run. In 2011, Richards signed with the Rangers, in part because of Tortorella. By 2013, he was deservedly benched during the playoffs.

"It kills me. It kills me. That kid there, that kid there … I grew up with him. I learned a lot from him in Tampa. We grew up together in Tampa. I don't know where it went—now you've got me talking about, but yeah, it's been damaged."

Earlier in the interview, Tortorella said he didn't have any regrets about his time in New York. Damage to his relationship with Richards, though, is "a big one."

"When the game's done, relationships are all you have left," Tortorella said.

For whatever it's worth, Richards deserved to be benched. He had one point in 10 playoff games at the time, and was coming off the worst regular season of his career, and the Rangers easily could've—or should've—bought him out after the season.

“This is a Conn Smythe winner," Tortorella said then. "A guy I’ve grown up with. A guy I love as a person and a player, but I have to make that decision regarding this. So kiss my ass if you want to write something different. It’s not about blaming that guy. I don’t want anybody to pile on him. This is my decision and I make it for the hockey club.”

The rest of the interview is worth a look. Tortorella talks about the future for Roberto Luongo, his relationship with the media and his love of dogs.